Is your bar ready?!

‘Tis the season for champagne toasts and warming whiskey drinks. And while red solo cups may be festive in color, with the action your bar may be getting with the New Year, it’s worth making sure that it’s not only well stocked but outfitted with the essential equipment. These chic drinking vessels and accessories should have you well covered!

I originally wrote this post for dishing magazine. Please hop on over to their website for source information! Cheers.

DIY {Metallic Geometric Kraft Runner}

Looking for a last minute and inexpensive concept for your New Year's celebration and in the mood for a DIY project? Than I have the solution for you, a kraft paper runner and roll of cork with a metallic makeover. All you need is a roll of 3M brown shipping paper, a roll of cork , graph paper, yard stick, painters tape and 1 can of silver spray paint. Just follow these easy steps...

To create the cork place mats, apply the same process to a roll of cork that has been cut into rectangles with a box cutter or x-acto knife.

Simple, easy and elegant. Happy New Year's to you and yours. Cheers!

Merry, Merry Christmas!!

Just popping in to say Merry Christmas! I hope that you are all having a wonderful holiday season filled with joy, family and friends. Just a few images of our Christmas Eve dinner table to help spread the holiday spirit. This is the first year that I have been in charge...it was a lot of pressure but also incredibly fun. However, I have to admit that I sat looking at the various vessels, greenery and flowers I had purchased for a good hour before I actually placed a stem in a vase!

I was particularly excited about how well heather perfectly mimicked Christmas trees when placed in the mint julep cups. 

Again, Merry Christmas to you and yours!

Deck The Walls!

While I should be focused on decking my halls, all I can think about is decking my walls. With that said, I have never seen a home quite like this one. Almost every single wall has been thoughtfully planned. It is so important when designing a space to think past a floor plan and imagine what it is feels like to walk into a room, and the walls are a large part of that impression. A few inspirational images to get you thinking about your own walls. I particularly love the way an unexpected color combination, bold geometric molding, corbels and sepia artwork work in this foyer.

And the way the marble flooring continues half way up the walls in this hallway. 

In a more casual room, the plethora of wicker bull heads surely makes a bold and whimsical statement, my favorite kind!

And then there is graphic wallpaper - always a wonderful solution to builders white walls. Throw in a brass fireplace surround and you have a statement making space.

Lastly, never underestimate the power of well styled bookshelves...

(via AD Espana)
What is your favorite way to jazz up your walls? In the meantime, have a wonderful weekend!

little bit of cheer

I am sorry that I have been remiss in posting the past couple of days. Wow, did Christmas sneak up on me and cause a few days of chaos! Am I alone? Anyways, just a few festive images to help embrace the spirit of the season. Starting with my fabric and red jingle bell packaging...

Some adorable ikat letterpress holiday cards...

This amazing christmas cake...

And some gorgeous tulips. Those green and white ones will be coming home with me soon and finding a place on my NYE table!

Hope these images helped to get you in the spirit of the season! 

Outside The Boxwood

I am very lucky to have some incredibly talented friends. One of them being my best childhood friend, Elizabeth, who just started her own floral design firm, Somerset Floral Design, in Denver after having worked for elite event planners and florists all over the country. Her taste is flawless! I mean, just look at what she was able to do with a traditional boxwood wreath!

You can see two more takes on boxwood wreaths on her instagram page.

gift guide {the design blogger}

I have to be honest, I really don't want anything for Christmas this year. I know, I know...everyone asking me for ideas groans at that answer, but it is true. However, if I did force myself to create a list of the little (Clare Vivier's new card case!) and not so little luxuries I am currently coveting, these pieces would all be on it.  These are also the perfect gifts for the design bloggers on your list. Maybe just make sure they have the space and like fuchsia, before splurging on the Organic Modernism Brass Leg Sofa!

1. Clare Vivier Card Case 2. Brass Trivet 3. Limited Edition of Rhapsody by Kelly Wearstler  4. Amana Brass Candlesticks 5. Heidi Merrick Beach Throw 6. Brass Leg Sofa from Organic Moderism

The Perfect Holiday Gift {Friedeman Wines}

Today was a very exciting day, as a delivery arrived that said "Do not deliver to an intoxicated person." An odd warning, I know, but it happened to contain the first shipment of Friedeman Wine's 2011 Russian River Pinot Noir. This wine is the absolute brilliant concoction of two talented winemakers, my brother and sister-in-law, and just one of the offerings currently available from Friedeman Wines. All of their wines are incredibly special, sophisticated and a bit unexpected. That said, a membership to their wine club would be the perfect holiday gift!

And that is where my role in Friedeman Wines comes in...holiday packaging. Over the past couple of days my mother and I have assembled and decked over 50 wine boxes to get ready for Christmas deliveries. A few hot glue gun burns later, this is how the packaging turned out...

If you would like to learn more about Friedeman Wines you can visit their facebook page or website.

Fresh {Mountain} Air

It was finally hat, scarf and mitten weather in Chicago today. And I loved it!  The crisp air and clear starry skies made me long for winter in the mountains. I know that some like it hot, when it comes to holiday getaways, but in my mind there is nothing more festive than frolicking in the snow, just to warm up by the fire. If you needed another reason to love mountain towns, I am pretty sure that these two spaces from ski town homes will entice you...

 

I am beyond crazy about the book matched Burma-teak marble in this bathroom and the way it  effortlessly pairs with the sleek lines of this waterworks tub.

 

And the shape of this table, along with the pair of rustic chandeliers are the perfect combination for an inviting mountain home!

(via Architectural Digest)

holiday table {kraft paper + paperwhites}

When it comes to Christmas tabletops--glitter, gold spray paint and crystal are my typically the tools and accents I grab. However, this year I was happily inspired by the aromatic paperwhites bulbs that are rapidly growing (and blooming) on my kitchen table. Their simple beauty was the perfect inspiration for an elegant, yet casual, table.  Kraft paper served as the backdrop and magnolia leaves and artichokes added just the right amount of color and texture.

understated magic {tumbleweed tree}

No matter how many beautiful tree bows I see decked in glitter, garlands and glass ornaments, there has yet to be one to top this understated and magical tree, as my favorite. I first posted this tumbleweed Christmas tree in 2008, and definitely think it deserves to be re-posted! This tree was discovered in the lobby of the ever chic eco-boutique hotel, Hotel Terra, and was created by Jackson Hole artist Ben Roth.

You can learn more about this tree on the Hotel Terra blog. Do you have a favorite tree design/concept?

gift guide {dogs + owners}

After consulting with my top canine advisers, Tally and Colin, we have put together a list of both fashionable and functional gifts for dogs and their animal loving owners. And yes, I know that a pegasus tray isn't exactly canine inspired -- but I can guarantee any animal lover would love to find it under the tree.

1. Joules welly boots 2. Hermes Pegasus tray 3. Mungo Maude leather dog lead 4. Dogs by Tim Flach 5. Chilewich Dog Mat 6. Band of Outsiders sweater 7. Wagwear bowls 8. Harry Barker dog beds

holiday style {simply sweet}

I have been searching high and low for holiday inspiration, as I am yet to settle on a look. I am typically drawn to metallic palettes or styles that are a bit over the top. However, this year I am loving anything chic and simple, with a touch of sweet. From peony adorned wreaths to the perfect brown paper packages tied up with strings...

(via emily henderson,  grey likes weddings,  emmaline bride and yummy mummy kitchens)

Whiskey Girl {sweet + spicy}

I am through and through a whiskey girl! I don't drink it every night but when I do, I savor each sip and pair it with one of my favorite nibbles, spiced nuts.  After much experimentation I finally concocted a recipe for this cocktail accompaniment that has the perfect balance of heat and sweet.

Just melt a tablespoon of butter in a saucepan, add 1 cup of roasted almonds,  a pinch of cayenne pepper and garlic powder, 1/2  tbsp kosher salt and 1/2  tbsp brown sugar. Heat on medium, while constantly stirring, until the almonds and coated and the skin is beginning to get crisp (about 3 minutes). Serve once they have cooled.

They really are so easy a to make and always a hit at parties.

 And while I am on the topic of whiskey, I just started setting a bar for the holiday season that is solely dedicated to Manhattans...

 And P.S. I made the bar "art" today...was fun and loved the way it turned out but am now completely covered in glitter! Cheers!